Guidelines for Application 2025
The Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program

International Graduate Program

Graduate School ofBioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences
Kyushu University

Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)The International Graduate Program at the Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences,
Kyushu University, is currently accepting applications for the Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship
Program (ADB-JSP). Two successful candidates will be awarded a scholarship by ADB-JSP and be enrolled in
the master’s program from October 2025.
1. Study Areas
The Master’s Program in International Graduate Program at the Graduate School of Bioresource andBioenvironmental Sciences comprises four departments: (i) Bioresource Sciences, (ii) Agro-environmentalSciences, (iii) Agricultural and Resource Economics, and (iv) Bioscience and Biotechnology.
For details of each department, please refer to(Bioresource Sciences)https://ag.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/graduate_school/course/#01(Agro-environmental Sciences)https://ag.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/graduate_school/course/#02(Agricultural and Resource Economics)
https://ag.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/graduate_school/course/#03(Bioscience and Biotechnology)
https://ag.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/graduate_school/course/#04.
2. Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility conditions:(1) Be a national of an ADB borrowing member country (please see Regions and Countries). Applicants who
are living or working in a country other than their home country, or hold dual citizenship of any developed
country, are ineligible for the scholarship.
(2) Hold (i) a bachelor’s degree (including applicants who obtain a bachelor’s degree through the 3-year course)and (ii) completed 16 years of academic education in their home country or(iii) has a superior academic record equivalent to the above.
For applicants in Nepal, Bangladesh, or Pakistan who have earned a master’s degree in their home country
and have completed only 16 years of education, their master’s level education will be considered
equivalent to a Japanese bachelor’s degree.
*Individual Evaluation of Academic Ability
Those who wish to apply in accordance with the above qualification (iii) are required to undergo an1

individual evaluation of their academic ability, as specified by the Individual Screening of Requirements forAdmission by the Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University.
First, they must notify the Student Affairs Division (agri-igp@jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp) and then send therequired documentation (1), (2), (3), (4) and (12) to the same address at the time of the online entry.
(3) Have at least two years of professional full-time work experience (acquired after obtaining a university
degree) by January 15th, 2025.
(4) Have adequate proficiency in oral and written English communication to pursue studies.
(5) Be no more than 35 years of age on January 15th, 2025.
(6) Be in good health.
(7) Must agree to return to their home country to contribute for at least 2 years to its development after
completing the program.
(8) Not be Executive Directors, Alternate Directors, management staff and consultants of ADB, or the close
relatives of the aforementioned by blood or adoption with the term "close relative" defined as spouse, mother,stepmother, father, stepfather, sister, stepsister, brother, stepbrother, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, niece, ornephew.
(9) Not be staff of ADB–JSP Designated Institutions.
(10) Family income must not be more than US$50,000 per year, and individual income should not be more than
US$25,000 per year.
(11) Have never previously studied abroad.
(12) Have never been enrolled in a graduate degree program (Exception: Applicants in Nepal, Bangladesh, orPakistan) or do not plan to complete a second MA or Ph.D. degree.
(13) Field of Study should be closely linked to the applicant’s academic background and professional experienceand should be in line with as follows.
(a) operational priority areas of ADB’s long-term strategyi.

addressing poverty and reducing inequalitiesii.

accelerating progress in gender equalityiii.

tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental
sustainability

iv.

making cities more livablev.

promoting rural development and food securityvi.

strengthening governance and institutional capacityvii.

fostering regional cooperation and integration(b) priority issues and development challenges addressed by Japan’s ODA
i.

universal health coverageii.

climate change and disaster risk managementiii.

quality infrastructure investment

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iv.

public finance managementv.

poverty reduction

3. Admission Openings
There are only TWO slots open for the Master’s Program in International Graduate Program at the Graduate
School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences.
4. Scholarship Coverage(1) Tuition fees (actual costs).
(2) Subsistence allowance.
(3) Student medical and accident insurance.
(4) Educational materials.
(5) Economy class air travel for one person, using the most direct route from the scholar’s home country toKyushu University plus the return flight at the end of the study program.
Note:

The initial scholarship period is for one year. An appropriate extension for the second year of study

shall be conditional on the scholar’s ability to maintain a satisfactory level of academic performance.
Generally, the extension of the scholarship will not be allowed beyond the two-year period.
5. Application Method(1) Submission of the Online Entry Form (https://forms.office.com/r/y5gNwcyW1w)
The Online Entry Form must arrive between November 1st and November 30th,2024 in order to have yoursubmission processed.
Our secure Online Entry Form is available only between November 1st and November 30th, 2024,23:59(Japan Time).
*The online entry periods are subject to change.
Applicants must contact their potential supervisor well in advance of filling out the entry form.
More information is available athttps://ag.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/international_exchange/how_to_apply/index.html(2) An online interview or oral examination (personal interview, phone call, or video call) by the potential
supervisor will be performed. If the interview cannot be conducted in one of the forms described, professors
from the educational course will conduct an interview via e-mail.
(3) After the online interview or oral examination, only successful applicants will be contacted by the potential
supervisor via e-mail, who will provide the required documentation for the official application. If you do nothear from the potential supervisor by December 18th, 2024, you should assume that your application has
been unsuccessful.
(4) Submission of the application documents in full to your potential supervisor:
Applicants who pass the online interview/oral examination must submit all of the documents described in3

Section 6 (Required Application Documents for Scholarship Screening) to the potential supervisor. All of thedocuments should be delivered to the Student Affairs Division by the potential supervisor no later thanJanuary 10th, 2025 (see Note).
(5) Only the successful candidates for the Scholarship will be notified by the Student Affairs Division by lateFebruary, 2025.
Note:

You must send the required documents to your potential supervisor well in advance of this date to give

your supervisor ample time to review and forward these documents to the Student Affairs Division. Pleaseask your potential supervisor about his/her preferred deadline.

6. Required Application Documents for Scholarship Screening
If you pass the screening by the online entry and the online interview or oral examination, your potential
supervisor will provide you with the forms needed to complete the documents listed below.
(1) Completed Application Form (use the form supplied by the potential supervisor)* Both a paper document and a Word file are required.
* Please print both sides of the page for the paper document(2) Completed Field of Study and Study Program Form (use the form supplied by your potential
supervisor).
(3) Bachelor’s Degree Certificate (*Refer to “NOTES 3”)(4) Official academic transcripts (*Refer to “NOTES 3”) of all applicable undergraduate and graduate
course work from the university /universities to which the applicant belongs/belonged. Submission ofacademic records with grade point averages (GPA) or quality points (A, B, C, or Excellent, Good,Average, etc.), along with a description of the academic grading system (e.g., A: 90% above) isrequired.
(5) Two letters of recommendation (Please download these forms at
https://www.agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/education/graduate/igp/how-to-apply/)
Recommendation Form 1 must be completed by a supervising professor or a member of teaching staff
from the university from which the applicant has graduated. Recommendation Form 2 must becompleted by a workplace supervisor who knows the applicant personally. The letters should be
addressed to the Dean of Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu
University. Each letter must be provided in an envelope sealed by the recommender to ensure
confidentiality.
(6) Completed Information Sheet (use the form supplied by the potential supervisor)* Both a paper document and a Word file are required.
(7) Applicant Income Information (use the form supplied by the potential supervisor)* Both a paper document and a Word file are required.
(8) Completed Job Description Form (use the form supplied by the potential supervisor)4(9) Completed Future Plan Form (use the form supplied by the potential supervisor(10) Original certificates indicating your own income and that of your parents if you are single or
your spouse if you are married. (*Refer to “NOTES 3”) (Each document must show annual income
in your local currency and US dollars and be written in English with an official signature/stamp andcompany’s letterhead/logo. For parents or spouse who are retired, unemployed, or deceased, kindlysubmit a certificate issued by a relevant local agency, company, or government.) The certificate issued
by a company should have the company’s letterhead/logo and that by the government must be signedby the authorized personnel.
Note: If the incomes are not properly certified, the applicant may be excluded from selection.
Please only submit authorized certificates issued by public agencies.
(11) Original certificate showing start and end date of employment with company’s
letterhead/logo and the signature of the authorized personnel. (*Refer to “NOTES 3”)(12) Certificate of one of the following official English qualifications: TOEFL, TOEIC Listeningand Reading Test, IELTS, or the Cambridge Certificate (*Refer to “NOTES 3”), taken within thetwo years preceding the application deadline. Applicants who are native English speakers areexempt from this requirement. Online score reports are not acceptable. It sometimes takes as longas two months for a score report to reach us after your order, so please make sure to allow sufficienttime. Every year some applications are not accepted due to the delayed arrival of their scores. If you
do not have these scores, please either take the exam and obtain new scores before you apply orsubmit a certificate issued by your university that proves you have completed a previous course of
study with English as the primary language instead. However, we strongly recommend you submit avalid English score, not a certificate issued by the university.
(13) Passport (photocopy).
(14) A photograph (4.5 × 3.5 cm), front-facing without a hat, and taken within the past six months before
the application deadline. The photo must be affixed to the specified area on the application form. The
name and nationality of the applicant must be written on the reverse side of the photograph.
(15) The 30,000JPY fee applies only to candidates who have passed the Scholarship Screening once theStudent Affairs Division has notified them of their selection.

NOTES
1) All required documents should be typewritten in English and of uniform size (A4 format).
2) Applications will not be accepted if any of the required documents are missing, incorrectly completed, orlacking supporting evidence. Applications will not be considered if the documents arrive after theabovementioned deadlines.
3) In principle, original documentation or transcripts should be submitted. Further, no submitted documents will
be returned. However, if your original documentation or transcripts cannot be reissued, you may submit a
photocopy of the documentation or transcripts with a statement of “certified true copy” or “attested” by theinstitution/organization administration office along with the official seal.

54) Documents 1, 2, and 5-9 must be provided on the forms supplied.
5) In principle, all documents should be in English or Japanese. If some of the necessary documents areunavailable in English or Japanese, contact the Student Affairs Division (agri-igp@jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp) withthe details, and they will send instructions on how to proceed.
7. Selection Procedures
The Asian Development Bank will select the scholarship recipients from among the candidates who have passed
the Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences screening. The Student Affairs Division willthen notify the successful scholarship recipients. All applicants who have passed the Scholarship Screening arerequired to pay 30,000JPY for Admission Screening.

8. Announcement of the Final Decision
Successful applicants will be notified of the final decision via e-mail in late-July.
9. Remarks(1) E-mail/telephone inquiries regarding screening results will not be answered.
(2) All applicants should note that they are required to keep in close contact with their potential supervisor at
Kyushu University to formulate a research plan.
(3) Successful applicants are expected to study and gain an understanding of the geography, climate, customs,
and habits of Japan, as well as the general features and conditions of Kyushu University.
(4) In principle, a change of department and laboratory is not permitted after your application is received by theuniversity. Therefore, you need to make a careful consideration of research themes for the selection of thedepartment and the laboratory before applying.
10. Correspondence
All application-related correspondence should be sent by registered airmail such as DHL, FedEx, OCS, or EMS,
to the following address:(Write your potential supervisor’s name)Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences
Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Note that the full set of documents (Section 6) should be sent to the potential supervisor by his/her stateddeadline.
11. Contact Information
Student Affairs Division
Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences

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Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
E-mail: agri-igp@jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Differences between ADB and MEXT Scholarships
ADB Scholarship

MEXT Scholarship

Master’s courses

Doctoral courses

At least TWO years required

Not required

Age limitation

Born after January 15th, 1990

Born after April 2nd, 1990

Current residency

Applicant’s home country

No restriction

Income limitation

Applied

N/A

Not allowed

N/ADegree

Bachelor’s degree holders

Bachelor’s and Master’s degree

requirement

onlyholders

Scholarshipcoverage
Full-time working
experience

Overseas study
experience

Requirement uponcourse completion

Immediate return to yourhome country after completionof your expected degree(s).

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N/AList of Target Countries and Regions for ADB-JSP

Afghanistan

Armenia

Azerbaijan

BangladeshBhutan

Cambodia

Cook Islands

FijiGeorgia

India

Indonesia

Kazakhstan

Kiribati

Kyrgyz Republic

Lao PDR

Malaysia

Maldives

Marshall Islands

Federal States of Micronesia

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nauru

Nepal

Niue

PakistanPalau

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Samoa

Solomon Islands

Sri Lanka

Tajikistan

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Tonga

Turkmenistan

TuvaluUzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vietnam8